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While the Supreme Court decides cases involving marriage equality, LGBT supporters need to work on advancing marriage battles in four states, according to Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson, one of the advocates credited with pushing the issue to the fore over the past two decades. "[R]ather than sitting around hand-wringing and speculating, what we need to do is, go out and continue creating that momentum that's going to get us there," Wolfson said.

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The Alabama Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered probate judges across the state to halt the distribution of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, defying federal court rulings in January overturning the state's marriage equality ban. "The Alabama Supreme Court has done a disservice to itself, not to mention a massive injustice to the people of Alabama, in allowing itself to be used to temporarily obstruct the freedom to marry," said Evan Wolfson, president of the LGBT group Freedom to Marry.

Thirty-two state attorneys general filed two amicus briefs with the Supreme Court on Friday, urging the justices to settle the question of whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. The officials asked the court to review three cases out of Oklahoma, Virginia and Utah. "The time has come to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from the institution of marriage," the officials wrote in one of the briefs.

While political figures continue to voice support for marriage equality, federal legislation that would protect LGBT Americans from employment discrimination has languished for decades. Just 48 sitting U.S. senators have a record of supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, even though polling shows 75% of Americans favor it.

Linda Greenhouse writes that the Supreme Court could conceivably strike down the Defense of Marriage Act not because it violates the Constitution's equal protection clause, but because it infringes on the rights of the nine states that allow same-sex couples to marry. That outcome would be "a truly bad idea" that could "snatch away the promise [of marriage equality] for those living elsewhere," Greenhouse writes.

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., on Tuesday became the 50th sitting senator and the second Senate Republican to publicly support legal marriage for same-sex couples. "Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back -- government has no place in the middle," Kirk said. Others on Capitol Hill who this week declared support for marriage equality include Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; Tom Carper, D-Del.; and Bob Casey, D-Pa.; and Rep. John Carney, D-Del. Several senators declared their support for marriage equality after Kirk's announcement.